The United Nations, which is fielding more than 19 800 peacekeeping troops in the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is virtually fighting a losing battle to contain the ongoing recruitment of child soldiers in a country the size of Western Europe.
Minibus taxis, referred to as ”matatus”, have long been a ubiquitous feature of the Kenyan landscape, providing transport in cities — and linking urban and rural areas. But a revolution is under way in western Kenya: bicycle taxis are replacing motorised vehicles, their passengers perched on padded seats positioned above the back wheel.
Off-break spin bowler Jeetan Patel may make his Test debut for New Zealand in the second Castle Lager Test against South Africa, which starts at Newlands on Thursday. Black Caps skipper Stephen Fleming hinted on Wednesday that New Zealand were considering playing two spin bowlers in the second Test, because he thought the pitch at Newlands might be spinner-friendly towards the end of the match.
The virulent H5N1 bird-flu virus has hit 45 countries, killing more than 100 people and leading to the death of 200-million birds and the impoverishment of millions of small-poultry farmers — and it seems to be spreading quickly, the United Nations bird-flu chief said on Wednesday.
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The state pulled out all the stops on Wednesday to prove that Jacob Zuma raped an HIV-positive woman, saying his version of events was ”laughable” and ”fanciful”. Prosecutor Charin de Beer described Zuma’s details of November 2 last year as ”recent fabrication” to enhance his claim of consensual sex.
The family of a man arrested over the murders of actor Brett Goldin and designer Richard Bloom and then released may sue the state for unlawful detention, his lawyer said on Wednesday. ”The possibility of a civil claim is being considered by the parents … [for] suing the state for unlawful detention,” said Theophillis Swartz, attorney for Rashaad Shaik.
United States President George Bush on Wednesday introduced conservative talk-show host Tony Snow as his new chief spokesperson in the latest shake-up of the struggling White House. ”I’m confident that Tony Snow will make an outstanding addition to this White House team,” Bush said.
Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomerate on Wednesday accused the BBC of using taxpayers’ money to build a ”digital empire” that would compete with commercial rivals. The BBC has announced plans to relaunch its website to incorporate more user-generated content such as blogs and video.
A massive language-research database responsible for bringing words such as ”podcast” and ”celebutante” to the pages of the Oxford dictionaries has officially hit a total of one billion words, researchers at Oxford University Press said on Wednesday. The press publishes the Oxford English Dictionary.
The odds by all reasonable and realistic accounts favour Mamelodi Sundowns as the tense and intriguing Premier Soccer League title battle with Orlando Pirates approaches the second-last, but possibly decisive, hurdle on Wednesday night. Sundowns face relegation-threatened Classic at Atteridgeville’s Super Stadium.